St. Francis — A sudden surge of inspiration was not the way it happened.

Things don't usually work that way in the NBA.

Instead Milwaukee Bucks point guard Michael Carter-Williams kept fine-tuning his game in practice, believing he could regain the form that made him the league's rookie of the year in 2014 with the Philadelphia 76ers.

He was committing too many turnovers, missing shots and in a serious funk. He even said he understood coach Jason Kidd's decision to bench him in late November.

But in the last nine games the 24-year-old Carter-Williams has averaged 16.3 points and 6.2 assists while gaining confidence on a nightly basis. He has played two strong games against Golden State guard Stephen Curry, considered the hottest player on the planet, and secured Milwaukee's victory over Phoenix on Sunday with a clutch steal in the final seconds.

Kidd rewarded Carter-Williams by putting him back in the starting lineup Wednesday against the Los Angeles Clippers, after 10 games coming off the bench.

"I've been talking with Coach (Kidd); I've been trying to get on the right path," Carter-Williams said. "I've been looking to put a few games together consistently, and that's what I did on the road trip.

"I was happy about it. My teammates put me in a position to be successful and I was able to help the team get a win on the road. We had an OK road trip. We had a down game against the Lakers (in a 113-95 defeat) but the other games we played pretty well."

Carter-Williams contributed 20 points, nine rebounds and six assists in the 101-95 victory against the Suns. That came after he nearly led Milwaukee to a second victory over the Warriors before the Bucks lost, 121-112, on Friday night in Oakland.

He shook off some verbal jabs from Golden State's Draymond Green to score a season-high 24 points while adding five rebounds and four assists and turning the ball over just twice.

"Whenever you go against a player like Steph Curry or Chris Paul or those guys, for me it's always a challenge to test your own skills or see where you're at as a player," Carter-Williams said. "I just try to be competitive. I try to really lock in on defense and attack them on the offensive end, while staying in the flow of the game.

"I had some success. He (Curry) hit some shots but that's what the greatest player on the planet is going to do."

Carter-Williams did not have a head-to-head matchup in Phoenix against Brandon Knight, the former Bucks point guard. They were the two principal figures in the three-team February trade deadline deal that sent Carter-Williams from the 76ers to Milwaukee.

The Suns made a long-term commitment to Knight by signing him to a five-year, $70 million contract during the off-season. Carter-Williams is in just his third NBA season and will be in the final year of his rookie-scale contract with the Bucks next season.

The 6-foot-6 guard is shooting just 45.0% overall and 27.3% from three-point range, numbers he is seeking to improve. But he has a knack for getting in the lane and forcing the defense to commit, so he can either shoot a floater, get to the rim or drop the ball off to an open teammate.

His length and tenacity on defense are huge assets. Carter-Williams forced a jump ball late in a victory over Portland, winning the tip and eventually finding center Greg Monroe for the go-ahead basket. He had five steals in the stunning home-court victory over the Warriors on Dec. 12, and his strip of Suns guard Eric Bledsoe allowed the Bucks to halt their 12-game road skid Sunday.

"He's played with good confidence," interim coach Joe Prunty said. "I think he's been aggressive. On both sides of the ball, he's done some really nice things.

"You have to do your job when you step on the floor; it doesn't matter who you're going against. We expect Michael to step on the floor and play hard and battle every night.

"Our defense is a team thing. So if Steph Curry scores and Michael is the guy guarding him, it's not he scored on Michael. It's all about the team."

The official box score gave Carter-Williams a blocked shot on the late play against Bledsoe, but it clearly was a steal as Bledsoe never got into a shooting motion.

"It's a stop and it was a very good play," Prunty said. "A lot of guys focused. All the guys on the floor did a good job of communicating and executing the defense down the stretch."

Carter-Williams will face his former team Wednesday night as the Bucks meet the 76ers for the second time this season. He also played against them twice after the trade last season and is 3-0 against them, including a 30-point game when he returned to Philadelphia in April.

"It's always good playing against a team that traded you," Carter-Williams said. "I'm going to stay in the flow of the game.

"I don't have as much animosity as I had last year. The same success would be nice."

Giannis probable: Prunty said Giannis Antetokounmpo was able to go through practice Tuesday after missing Sunday's game with left knee patellar tendinitis.